European Cooking Secrets
Oct 28th, 2016, 06:52 AM
#42
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Now the secrets of authentic mousse au chocolat:
Mousse au chocolat has become a dessert that is popular worldwide. However, popularity was its fate. Chocolate mousse is often manufactured in food factories, and its quality is accordingly. Even many restaurants serve mousse au chocolat which was bought from wholesalers in large containers.
Today, mousse au chocolat is often watered down - with milk or with cream. My recipe for traditional mousse au chocolat is at least half a century old and I have it from the French photographer Christian Délu who wrote a wonderful book about traditional French cuisine (I just reduced the amount of sugar a bit).
And it contains no dairy products (if you want to have cream with your mousse then serve it with whipped cream). On the other side, it is flavoured with the aroma that matches best with dark chocolate: orange peel.
So, here is the recipe for six generous portions:
Ingredients:
6 eggs, separated
160 grams powdered sugar
300 grams dark chocolate (the highest quality that you can get)
pinch of salt
finely grated peel of one orange
Melt chocolate (I do it in a microwave oven with low energy, stirring several times). Whip egg yolks with powdered sugar and grated orange peel. Mix melted chocolate under egg-sugar-mass. Whip egg whites with a pinch of salt and work it under the chocolate-sugar-mass carefully. Refrigerate for several hours.
This mousse has a rich flavour and texture without being greasy. It is like it was in the old times.
If you wish, you can add some alcohol to the eggyolk-mass, e.g. triple sec, rum, cognac. I find orange flavour matches with the chocolate perfectly, but instead you can use other flavours, like a shot of strong espresso (optional Kahlua) or some hazelnut mass (gianduia, Vienna nougat, optional Fra Angelico).
For a white mousse take 400 grams white chocolate and just 100 grams powdered sugar. Instead of orange peel use vanilla seeds as a flavour.
You may serve dark mousse straight or with mango. White mousse is excellent with raspberries.
We have often prepared mousse au chocolat for our hosts when we stayed in America and they were always overwhelmed.
Mousse au chocolat has become a dessert that is popular worldwide. However, popularity was its fate. Chocolate mousse is often manufactured in food factories, and its quality is accordingly. Even many restaurants serve mousse au chocolat which was bought from wholesalers in large containers.
Today, mousse au chocolat is often watered down - with milk or with cream. My recipe for traditional mousse au chocolat is at least half a century old and I have it from the French photographer Christian Délu who wrote a wonderful book about traditional French cuisine (I just reduced the amount of sugar a bit).
And it contains no dairy products (if you want to have cream with your mousse then serve it with whipped cream). On the other side, it is flavoured with the aroma that matches best with dark chocolate: orange peel.
So, here is the recipe for six generous portions:
Ingredients:
6 eggs, separated
160 grams powdered sugar
300 grams dark chocolate (the highest quality that you can get)
pinch of salt
finely grated peel of one orange
Melt chocolate (I do it in a microwave oven with low energy, stirring several times). Whip egg yolks with powdered sugar and grated orange peel. Mix melted chocolate under egg-sugar-mass. Whip egg whites with a pinch of salt and work it under the chocolate-sugar-mass carefully. Refrigerate for several hours.
This mousse has a rich flavour and texture without being greasy. It is like it was in the old times.
If you wish, you can add some alcohol to the eggyolk-mass, e.g. triple sec, rum, cognac. I find orange flavour matches with the chocolate perfectly, but instead you can use other flavours, like a shot of strong espresso (optional Kahlua) or some hazelnut mass (gianduia, Vienna nougat, optional Fra Angelico).
For a white mousse take 400 grams white chocolate and just 100 grams powdered sugar. Instead of orange peel use vanilla seeds as a flavour.
You may serve dark mousse straight or with mango. White mousse is excellent with raspberries.
We have often prepared mousse au chocolat for our hosts when we stayed in America and they were always overwhelmed.
Oct 28th, 2016, 06:59 AM
#43
Having spent 15 seconds in a cupboard I see that Lea & Perrins which is a well known brand of Worcestershire sauce has amongst its ingredients "anchovies". Marmite, of course, is not contaminted with fishy byproducts but remains wholesome and yeasty.
Oct 28th, 2016, 07:20 AM
#44
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According to a recipe from 1727 (Eliza Smith, The Compleat Housewife, or, Accomplish'd Gentlewoman's Companion), British ketchup was made of mushrooms, anchovies and horseradish. No tomatoes at all.
Oct 28th, 2016, 02:41 PM
#46
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I have this recipe for chocolate mousse from a Belgian friend who gave it to me over 30 years ago. It was her mother's recipe, so I'm sure it's much older than that.
100 grams of fondant chocolate (Cote D’Or is best.)
2 egg yolks
4-6 egg whites
2 Tbsp. sugar (about 25 grams)
Melt chocolate. Add sugar quickly and stir well. Add egg yolks and stir in well. Beat whites to soft peaks and fold them into chocolate. Chill in serving glasses.
One must be careful with converting recipes involving chocolate. Most American baking chocolate has no sugar at all. Most European baking chocolate has sugar in it. This affects the quantity of chocolate you would use as well as the quantity of sugar. I think Traveler's recipe uses unsweetened chocolate because of the larger quantity of sugar.
100 grams of fondant chocolate (Cote D’Or is best.)
2 egg yolks
4-6 egg whites
2 Tbsp. sugar (about 25 grams)
Melt chocolate. Add sugar quickly and stir well. Add egg yolks and stir in well. Beat whites to soft peaks and fold them into chocolate. Chill in serving glasses.
One must be careful with converting recipes involving chocolate. Most American baking chocolate has no sugar at all. Most European baking chocolate has sugar in it. This affects the quantity of chocolate you would use as well as the quantity of sugar. I think Traveler's recipe uses unsweetened chocolate because of the larger quantity of sugar.
Oct 29th, 2016, 03:40 AM
#48
PS - has anyone got any tips for cooking live seafood? I bought some live Fal prawns yesterday and if anyone has any experience with cooking something similar, would they please share it? they are about 2 inches long, pinky brown in colour and quite lively.
The chap who sold them to me suggested sautéing in oil/butter with garlic and parsley, in a pan with a lid to counter any "jumpage".
I thought I'd serve with rice but sauté potatoes are another possibility.
The chap who sold them to me suggested sautéing in oil/butter with garlic and parsley, in a pan with a lid to counter any "jumpage".
I thought I'd serve with rice but sauté potatoes are another possibility.
Oct 29th, 2016, 07:15 AM
#51
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Here's a classical Flemish recipe for <b>rabbit</b>:
http://www.flanderstoday.eu/living/bite-rabbit-prunes
Here's my own recipe for a very rich <b>chocolate mousse</b>:
100 g dark chocolate (80% cocoa)
100 g milk chocolate
4 tbsp strong black coffee (ristretto)
4 tbsp coffee cream
a few drops of vanilla extract
2 egg whites
250 ml whipping cream 35-40%
sugar to taste
Melt chocolate with coffee and vanilla extract (microwave, abt. 2 mins.).
Add coffee cream and stir well until smooth.
Whip cream with sugar to taste (1 tbsp will do) with a whisk for a few minutes (it doesn't have to be firm peaks).
Stir cream gently into chocolate.
Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt to firm peaks.
Stir egg whites gently into chocolate/cream mass.
Pour in serving glasses and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Eat and enjoy!
http://www.flanderstoday.eu/living/bite-rabbit-prunes
Here's my own recipe for a very rich <b>chocolate mousse</b>:
100 g dark chocolate (80% cocoa)
100 g milk chocolate
4 tbsp strong black coffee (ristretto)
4 tbsp coffee cream
a few drops of vanilla extract
2 egg whites
250 ml whipping cream 35-40%
sugar to taste
Melt chocolate with coffee and vanilla extract (microwave, abt. 2 mins.).
Add coffee cream and stir well until smooth.
Whip cream with sugar to taste (1 tbsp will do) with a whisk for a few minutes (it doesn't have to be firm peaks).
Stir cream gently into chocolate.
Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt to firm peaks.
Stir egg whites gently into chocolate/cream mass.
Pour in serving glasses and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Eat and enjoy!
Oct 29th, 2016, 07:32 AM
#52
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Here's a good one for <b>Belgian beef stew</b> (stoofvlees)
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipe...Beef-Beer-Stew
I don't add bacon, and in Belgium most people [including me] will eat it with French fries. The cooking time of one a half hours is too short. Make that two to two and half hours. Better yet is to cook the day before so that flavours can mix nicely.
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipe...Beef-Beer-Stew
I don't add bacon, and in Belgium most people [including me] will eat it with French fries. The cooking time of one a half hours is too short. Make that two to two and half hours. Better yet is to cook the day before so that flavours can mix nicely.
Oct 29th, 2016, 08:06 AM
#53
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I do not use baking chocolate but high-quality regular chocolate, however with a high percentage of cocoa mass and hence few amounts of milk and sugar.
I must say that I always found American chocolate disappointing. IMO, the best chocolates come from Switzerland, Belgium and Germany (where most of the stuff that is sold under Swiss brands is actually produced).
Sometimes I have the feeling that American manufacturers do not conche the chocolate long enough (good chocolate is conched for up to 72 hours). BTW, in the chocolate museum in Cologne you can see the fully automated process.
I must say that I always found American chocolate disappointing. IMO, the best chocolates come from Switzerland, Belgium and Germany (where most of the stuff that is sold under Swiss brands is actually produced).
Sometimes I have the feeling that American manufacturers do not conche the chocolate long enough (good chocolate is conched for up to 72 hours). BTW, in the chocolate museum in Cologne you can see the fully automated process.
Oct 29th, 2016, 08:07 AM
#54
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Live seafood:
The only way to kill live seafood which is legal here is to throw it, head down, into a large pot of boiling water, which kills them immediately and painlessly.
However, I heard from French friens that they use to put a live lobster on the grill and keep him there until he is dead. A bit horrible.
The only way to kill live seafood which is legal here is to throw it, head down, into a large pot of boiling water, which kills them immediately and painlessly.
However, I heard from French friens that they use to put a live lobster on the grill and keep him there until he is dead. A bit horrible.
Oct 29th, 2016, 08:18 AM
#55
The only way to kill live seafood which is legal here is to throw it, head down, into a large pot of boiling water, which kills them immediately and painlessly.>>
hi traveller, I had to look up where you are to find out where "here" is i.e. Germany; I'm not aware of any UK laws as such about how to kill seafood like prawns, but perhaps someone here knows better.
Anyway, I decided to follow the advice of my fishmonger, and after warming some butter and oil in a large frying pan, I gently sautéed the finely chopped garlic, and then added the prawns, about a pound, of them to the pan, picked up the odd one or two that had escaped, and following the example of the late great Keith Floyd, put the lid firmly on the pan and whistled the Marseillaise. [That was his advice for what to do when cooking a live lobster alla traveller but I thought that it would do for live prawns as well, albeit they were rather smaller].
I suppose that it took about 10 mins to turn them all a uniform pink, and in that time I buttered some brown bread, found wine glasses for the chablis that I had in the fridge, plus finger bowls and napkins.
The result was voted delicious by the entire company [well, the four of us] and I can thoroughly recommend this method should any of you happen upon a quantity of live Fal prawns in the future.
hi traveller, I had to look up where you are to find out where "here" is i.e. Germany; I'm not aware of any UK laws as such about how to kill seafood like prawns, but perhaps someone here knows better.
Anyway, I decided to follow the advice of my fishmonger, and after warming some butter and oil in a large frying pan, I gently sautéed the finely chopped garlic, and then added the prawns, about a pound, of them to the pan, picked up the odd one or two that had escaped, and following the example of the late great Keith Floyd, put the lid firmly on the pan and whistled the Marseillaise. [That was his advice for what to do when cooking a live lobster alla traveller but I thought that it would do for live prawns as well, albeit they were rather smaller].
I suppose that it took about 10 mins to turn them all a uniform pink, and in that time I buttered some brown bread, found wine glasses for the chablis that I had in the fridge, plus finger bowls and napkins.
The result was voted delicious by the entire company [well, the four of us] and I can thoroughly recommend this method should any of you happen upon a quantity of live Fal prawns in the future.
Oct 29th, 2016, 08:48 AM
#56
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OK, I have to ask. What is "conche?"
The prawns sound lovely, annhig.
Without going into the details of my first "cook a live lobster" story, let me just note that after unsuccessfully trying to kill it in a huge bain-marie in the oven, I threw it on a Weber Grill, where it finally succumbed. It was not pretty, not at all.
Myriam, thanks for the Belgian stew recipe. We are big fans of Belgian food. I have, I think, almost perfected my waterzooi recipe, but if you have any tips, I'll gladly take them.
The prawns sound lovely, annhig.
Without going into the details of my first "cook a live lobster" story, let me just note that after unsuccessfully trying to kill it in a huge bain-marie in the oven, I threw it on a Weber Grill, where it finally succumbed. It was not pretty, not at all.
Myriam, thanks for the Belgian stew recipe. We are big fans of Belgian food. I have, I think, almost perfected my waterzooi recipe, but if you have any tips, I'll gladly take them.
Oct 29th, 2016, 08:52 AM
#57
Without going into the details of my first "cook a live lobster" story, let me just note that after unsuccessfully trying to kill it in a huge bain-marie in the oven, I threw it on a Weber Grill, where it finally succumbed. It was not pretty, not at all.>>
St C - after my last attempt to cook one, I've never tried again. I don't know who was more traumatised, me or the lobster.
St C - after my last attempt to cook one, I've never tried again. I don't know who was more traumatised, me or the lobster.
Oct 29th, 2016, 08:55 AM
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<i> I must say that I always found American chocolate disappointing. IMO, the best chocolates come from Switzerland, Belgium and Germany ...</i>
I agree that mass produced American chocolate is mediocre at best, but there are many artisans who make good chocolate in small amounts. As for Swiss chocolate, I find good Italian chocolate to be better. I can't say much about German and Belgian chocolate.
I don't care for milk chocolate, myself.
<i> Secret in chocolate mousse is the cote d or. Indeed. </i>
Well, it is a Belgian recipe!
I agree that mass produced American chocolate is mediocre at best, but there are many artisans who make good chocolate in small amounts. As for Swiss chocolate, I find good Italian chocolate to be better. I can't say much about German and Belgian chocolate.
I don't care for milk chocolate, myself.
<i> Secret in chocolate mousse is the cote d or. Indeed. </i>
Well, it is a Belgian recipe!
Oct 29th, 2016, 09:05 AM
#59
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Here is a recipe for a popular Italian dessert, which is also very easy to make:
Panna cotta
1/2 litre fresh heavy cream
1/2 envelope gelatin (about 1 1/2 tsp.)
50 g fine sugar (about 1/4 cup)
grated rind of one lemon
pinch salt
Scald the cream and add the gelatin, stirring constantly until the gelatin is dissolved. Add the other ingredients and mix well. Pour into individual molds or custard cups. Chill in the refrigerator for several hours. Unmold the panna cotta onto a serving platter or individual dessert plates. Serve with raspberry or other sauce.
I'm guessing at the amount of gelatin, as here in Italy we use sheets of "colla di pesce", which literally means fish glue, but it's not made with fish these days. I don't like my panna cotta overly firm. I would read the instructions on the box for the proportion of liquid to gelatin and adjust it to the quantity of liquid used, using a little less gelatin than called for if you don't want it very firm.
I scald the cream in the microwave, taking care that it doesn't reach the boiling point.
A good sauce can be made by mixing a high quality jam with a small amount of liqueur (or fresh squeezed orange juice) and boiling them.
To unmold easily, immerse the mold almost up to the rim in very hot water for a few seconds. Then put the serving plate on top of it and turn it over. It should slip right out.
Panna cotta
1/2 litre fresh heavy cream
1/2 envelope gelatin (about 1 1/2 tsp.)
50 g fine sugar (about 1/4 cup)
grated rind of one lemon
pinch salt
Scald the cream and add the gelatin, stirring constantly until the gelatin is dissolved. Add the other ingredients and mix well. Pour into individual molds or custard cups. Chill in the refrigerator for several hours. Unmold the panna cotta onto a serving platter or individual dessert plates. Serve with raspberry or other sauce.
I'm guessing at the amount of gelatin, as here in Italy we use sheets of "colla di pesce", which literally means fish glue, but it's not made with fish these days. I don't like my panna cotta overly firm. I would read the instructions on the box for the proportion of liquid to gelatin and adjust it to the quantity of liquid used, using a little less gelatin than called for if you don't want it very firm.
I scald the cream in the microwave, taking care that it doesn't reach the boiling point.
A good sauce can be made by mixing a high quality jam with a small amount of liqueur (or fresh squeezed orange juice) and boiling them.
To unmold easily, immerse the mold almost up to the rim in very hot water for a few seconds. Then put the serving plate on top of it and turn it over. It should slip right out.
Oct 29th, 2016, 09:06 AM
#60
Lobsters should be killed with a knife driven along its spine and into its brain, doing anything else is frankly very cruel.
Shrimps into something very hot in small quantities.
Every day in every way I get more and more vegetarian....
Shrimps into something very hot in small quantities.
Every day in every way I get more and more vegetarian....
